The most recent Emory Health Walk, sponsored by the New York chapter of the Caucus of Emory Black Alumni (CEBA), turned out to be a fun, healthy, and early-morning success. The turnout at Central Park on Saturday, June 26 included alumni representatives from various class years between 1990 and 2010. Though a few of us battled some slight handicaps from the conclusion of a Friday night out on the town merely hours before, everyone braved the heat and arrived bright and early ready to walk.

As an added bonus, our group was treated to an up-close view of the finish line to the annual Pride Run. Seeing these runners complete the home stretch was quite an inspiration to all of us (some ran the entire race in under 25 minutes!)

With breakfast bars and new Emory T-shirts in hand, our crew was ready to get its pre-walking stretches on. We met our guide Lon at our starting point, the North Meadow Recreation Center, where he taught us the importance of good posture and premptive stretching before we started out on our journey. Lon was so impressed that so many of us had come out together to walk for our health (especially on a weekend morning) that he decided to give us our own private walk!

What we thought would be a mere stroll in the Park turned out to be quite a workout, however, as keeping our arms high and our feet light proved to be quite a challenge. “Stay loose as a goose!” Lon would cheer periodically as arms dropped or feet lagged. Thanks to our athletic fervor and a rather unrelenting June sun, it’s safe to say that we were all sweating by the time the 45-minute trek through the hills and paths of Central Park came to an end. Nevertheless, we all agreed that this was a great way to start out our Saturday morning.

After a group cool down stretch, we handed out some extra Emory T-shirts to other walkers out on their own strolls. “Emory… Hey, that’s a great school!” shouted one man, as he proudly held up his new T-shirt. “Thank you, sir!” He didn’t need to tell us…

Couldn’t join us last week? The North Meadow Recreation Center leads weekly Central Park walks every Saturday morning from 9:30 am to 11:00 a.m., no pre-registration required. We’ll see you out there!

- Montshona Edwards 07C

The Caucus of Emory Black Alumni (CEBA) New York celebrated Black History Month in February with two exciting--and fun--cultural events.

On February 19 Rae Wynn-Grant 06C, led an afternoon of art and jazz at the American Museum of Natural History. It was a lovely day at the museum featuring performances from the New Amsterdam Musical Association, along with the New Orleans-infused sounds of Edward Babb and McCollough Sons of Thunder.

Later, a panel discussion about jazz was led by Robert O’Meally, founder of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. All in all, it was a great time.

Our second event was a Soul Food Sunday potluck hosted by Erin Miles 05C in West Harlem. The fun-filled day included a delicious menu consisting of homemade fried chicken, jerk chicken, candied yams, mac ‘n cheese, sweet potato biscuits, broccoli and cornbread. (You can see some of the remains in the photo above.) Not to mention a special champagne punch and even a banana pudding for dessert!

After eating way more than we should have, we played a riveting game of black history trivia, with Barbara Bridges 06C declaring victory and taking home the Starbucks gift set. Who knew that Dr. Martin Luther King’s real name was Michael? (His parents renamed him shortly after he was born).

More CEBA-sponsored and co-sponsored events are coming up this spring and summer. Also, our Facebook page is up and running, so please add us as a friend to get up to the minute details about what’s going on with CEBA NY!

If you’d like to be added to our special listserv, please email me at medwards915@yahoo.com.

-- Montshona Edwards 07C, chair, CEBA NY

Celebrating service last weekend on a street known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in New York couldn't have been more appropriate.

Harlem's "Main Street," MLK Blvd. (also known as 125th St.), is where St. Joseph of the Holy Family Soup Kitchen is located, and it's also where the New York Chapter of Emory Alumni held a "Day On" service project on Saturday, January 15.

Alumni like Ben Knapik 06B (left) and Montshona Edwards 07C helped set up the soup kitchen that day and also clean up the church. The silverware was wrapped very nicely.

To see more pictures from Emory's Day On in New York visit the EAA's photo page.

On Wednesday, May 12, Caucus of Emory Black Alumni (CEBA) NY members enjoyed a fun-filled night on Broadway, as we all braved the chilly weather to watch the mighty Denzel Washington star in Fences.

Act One: We all gathered together for a delicious pre-show meet n’ greet at Bourbon Street Bar & Grille in the Theater District. Think yummy sliders, sultry chicken wings, delectable mozzarella sticks, and heavenly hush puppies. Add a cocktail or two and we were ready for the show!

Act Two: To say Fences was an artistic masterpiece is an understatement. Many of us couldn’t believe that we had already reached intermission when the lights came on midway through the show. Washington and Viola Davis as husband and wife were superb, and definitely earned their Tony Award nominations. Passion, lies, laughter, deceit—this play was jam-packed with drama, drama, drama and kept audience members on the edge of our seats.

Act Three: Those of us who meandered around the theater after the show got to catch an up-close glimpse of Mr. Washington himself! He came out of a side door of the theater and greeted fans for several minutes before he jetted away in his unmarked chauffeured car. We stood there with our mouths open in sheer awe at the site of this prolific actor—though he seemed humble, dressed down in a baseball cap, and of course, a smile.

Well folks, that’s all for now. Thanks to everyone who came out, and a special thanks to Dina Choate, assistant director for regional programs and our Emory Alumni Association (EAA) liaison, for helping coordinate much of this event.

Stay tuned for our next CEBA NY event: A “Hello, Summer” cookout at a private residence in the Gramercy Park area of NYC. Get ready for fun in the sun!!

See the photos on the EAA's Facebook fan page.

-- Montshona Edwards 07C, Caucus of Emory Black Alumni New York

Those of us without tickets to the TCM Classic Film Festival were still fortunate enough to spend a night out at the theater.

New York's Hudson Theatre, specifically. Sandwiched between 44th and 45th Streets, the theatre is just a chip shot away from Times Square. That's where Booker Prize-winning (and Emory Distinguished Writer in Residence) Sir Salman Rushdie headlined an EAA Faculty Destinations event on Thursday, April 22.

A group of 45 Emory alumnae, friends, and colleagues enjoyed a wine tasting at New York Vintners in Tribeca while a panel of women representing legal, finance, publishing, and creative fields discussed their experiences as successful women navigating through their careers.

The March 22 panel discussed the current state of female participation among the management and executive roles in various fields. Panelists recounted their own personal experiences throughout their careers, and provided advice to the audience on how to find success and happiness in their chosen fields. Popular tips included identifying the right career, choosing a mentor, and how to network with other women and within the larger corporate world.

Closing remarks were provided by Carolyn Bregman 82L, the director of alumni career services for the Emory Alumni Association, who discussed the variety of career coaching and support offered by the University.

-- Carey Bertolet 96L, Alumnae and Women of Emory, New York

Braving bitter cold temperatures, students, alumni, and employers celebrated Emory talent in Washington and New York last week at Emory Network Nights, networking events co-sponsored by The Career Center, the Emory Alumni Association, and local alumni chapters.

In addition to enhancing their personal networks and making connections with alumni and other employer representatives, alumni served as resources to students who attended while on winter break.

“Given the economy, it’s so important that alumni serve as resources to our students, providing industry insights and internship leads,” said Paul Fowler, executive director of the Career Center.

Marni Galison 98L agreed. Gallison (seen above, in the background, wearing black pants) is a former prosecutor who practiced law at prestigious New York firms before founding Sunday at Noon, a selective professional matchmaking company in Manhattan.

“Contacts I made through the Emory network with other alumni directly resulted in associate positions with New York firms," she said. "There is no question that students and alumni need to tap into the network and that all alumni need to lend a hand whenever possible.”

The next Emory Network Night will be held in Atlanta on February 18.

-- Carolyn Bregman 82L, director, alumni career services, EAA

More than 150 alumni attended the New York Chapter of Emory Alumni's Fourth Annual Toys for Tots Holiday Party in the heart of Manhattan at the plush Touch Lounge, Thursday, December 3. Guests enjoyed premium cocktails and tasty nibbles while grooving to Emory's very own DJ David Marc Kuntz 98B 04MBA. Everyone left with a warm and fuzzy feeling--not from the open bar, but from the huge donation of toys and books collected at the door for Toys for Tots.

See more photos on the EAA's Facebook fan page.

The Emory University Symphony Orchestra, led by Director of Orchestral Studies Richard Prior, plays at Celebration Emory, a Campaign Emory event in New York City, on Feb. 26, 2009. More than 350 guests attended the event at the New York Marriott Marquis, including University President Jim Wagner and Emory Alumni Board President Crystal Edmonson 95C.

Hi everybody,

We've got some new content on iTunes U! The audiofile from Celebration Emory: New York and a podcast from our Houston alumni interviewing featuring a great group of alumni were posted earlier this week.

Kumasi Adoma 01C, Eric Barvin 07C, Cheronda Bryan 04B, Carlyn Burton 02C 02G, and Bonnie Dilber 04C were all very generous with their time during our lunch break in between sessions. If you detect any crunching during our 10-minute conversation, it was the lettuce.

We've also got an interview with Turman award recipient Sally Lehr 65N 76MN.

You'll need to have an iTunes account to easily access the files. But since Emory's been on iTunes U since October, we're sure you've already signed up.

--Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

Annemarie Poyo Furlong 90C spent her time at Celebration Emory: New York, Thursday, February 26, taking photos of pretty much everything that moved. You can see the fruits of her labor right here--a slide show of more than 50 photos on the Campaign Emory website, including many of the very happy attendees and some great shots of the Emory University Symphony Orchestra in action.

Sorry, no pictures of me at the bar.

--Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA

So I'm sitting in a bar called the House of Brews ...

Now that I've got your attention .... Celebration Emory: New York has been over for about an hour, and there was quite a lot of celebrating to spread around. More than 350 guests spent their evening with President Jim Wagner, Emory Alumni Board President Crystal Edmonson 95C, and the Emory University Symphony Orchestra, whose performance literally had the floor vibrating at the New York Marriott Marquis.

We'll post photos of the event on EAAvesdropping as soon as we can.

The food was pretty good, too. Our guests stayed more than half an hour past our advertised closing time. We had to turn on the lights to get people to leave, like we were a dance club or something. Not that that's a bad thing.

It was the desserts that kept people around. Of course. The hotel created treats that honestly I didn't even know were possible. Like chocolate spoons. They're pretty self-explanatory. It was a regular teaspoon, overflowing with chocolate. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. I have no problem making a bold statement like that, either. I tested it. I had three of them.

I always enjoy working events like Celebration Emory. As the EAA's communications director, my primary role is in assisting with messaging (what the speakers say) and promotion (how we encourage alumni to attend). At the event itself, I'm a logistics guy. I do the grunt work so the events manager Leslie Wingate 82C, senior director for alumni programs, can take care of other pressing needs. I also look for ways to improve future events. Are there certain topics that make more of an impact? How can we better deliver those to alumni? That sort of thing.

And just being around so many alumni excited about what Emory is doing is exciting. It makes me want to do my job better.

So, what am I doing in a bar? Chocolate spoons, as tasty as they were, aren't very filling. And I didn't want to eat in the hotel. And how can you pass up a place called the House of Brews, which is about a block and a half from Times Square (where the hotel is) on the outskirts of Hell's Kitchen. No, I'm not having beer for dinner. I'm having pretzels for dinner. Seven mini ones and they are very good. The beer is just cleansing the palette.

Have a good weekend, everyone. I'll write you on Saturday from Houston, where I'm helping out with Emory's Alumni Interviewing pilot program.

Eric Rangus, director of communications